If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Possible Dynasty 200DX problem...

12-13-2010, 08:43 AM

I am pretty new to welding, i took a few classes at the college and have been practicing at home for probably a year since. I bought a dynasty 200dx and everything has been working great with it. Probably since this summer, something seemed to change when i strike an arc with the tig now. I used to get a normal arc that i could see perfectly through my hood like i'm used to. Now, just about anytime i strike an arc my arc starts out as this really bright blinding light and i can't see. If i step on the peddle and crank up the amperage, this usually goes away and i get my normal arc back and can continue but its driving me crazy because it never used to happen? Like i said, i'm not totally new to welding but i don't know what this is. Does this sound familiar to anyone? I'm not "great" about cleaning my surfaces before welding but i give them a quick wire brush so i would think its that. I've ground and reground my tungsten so i knew it wasn't contaminated. My shielding gas seems to be dispensing fine as far as i can tell. Anyone have any ideas? I mostly just work with mild steel at the moment.

Comment

Not familiar with that hood, does it have adjustments for sensitivity and cycle times? Sounds like it's just not triggering due to the low intensity of the starting arc. A dirty/cloudy cover plate that blocks the sensors doesn't help either.

Obviously, I'm just a hack-artist, you shouldn't be listening to anything I say .....

Comment

I've got a Miller elite auto dark. I don't know much about tweaking it though, do you think that could be it?

Since it's normal for TIG welding to give off "a bright blinding light" when viewed through the default no-power shade, my guess would be the problem is probably with your hood, not with the Dynasty. Check to make sure there's nothing blocking the sensors, max out the sensitivity and delay settings. I don't own an Elite, but I know the upper tier models have a delay adjustment. If playing around with the sensitivity and/or delay settings doesn't help, try welding using a friend's hood and see if that fixes the problem.

Common problem encountered with many auto darkening hoods is that they'll start acting flaky when the batteries aren't charged up enough. If you weld for a living it's usually not an issue because the little solar cell on the front will see 40 hours a week of arc time. If you store your hood in the dark, the batteries will run low after a while. If you only weld occasionally with a solar charged auto hood, store it out in the open where it'll get some daylight to maintain the battery.

Auto hoods are convenient, but I have yet to weld with one that will beat the clarity you get with a traditional hood with a quality filter lens. A Lincoln "super-visibilty" in shade 10 or 11 is good choice - they only cost about $3 so you can afford to experiment bit with different shades. If you don't own a fixed shade hood, definitely invest in one. It will take some time to get used to, but I think it's well worth the effort. I own five different hoods and only one of 'em is an auto (Speedglas 9002x with the bells and whistles). My favorite hood for low amp TIG is still a beat up old $40 Fibre-metal.

Comment

Ya, i had to print my dynasty manual off from there as well. I was completely looking in the wrong place in this case, i thought this was a problem with my welder, never thought about it being my hood. (Me=newb)